But which were best? We asked you to vote for your favourites in 21 categories and you responded in your thousands. So without any further ado here are the winners and runner-ups in the 220 Triathlon Awards 2017. 

Men’s Elite Triathlete of the Year

1. Alistair Brownlee
2. Jonny Brownlee
3. Jan Frodeno
4. Joe Skipper
5. David McNamee
   
Women’s Elite Triathlete of the Year
1. Flora Duffy
2. Vicky Holland

3. Lucy Gossage

4. Helen Jenkins

5. Non Stanford

International triathlete of the Year
1. Gwen Jorgensen

2. Flora Duffy

3. Jan Frodeno

4. Daniela Ryf

5. Mario Mola

Duathlete of the Year
1. Emma Pooley

2. Emma Pallant

3. Ben Dijkstra

4. Richard Horton

5. Alex Yee

Women’s Paratriathlete of the Year
1. Lauren Steadman

2. Melissa Reid

3. Lizzie Tench

4. Alison Patrick

5. Faye McClelland

Youth Triathlete of the Year 
1. Ben Dijkstra

2. Sam Dickinson

3. Jamie Bedwell

4. Alex Yee

5. Sam Mileham

Male Paratriathlete of the Year
1. Andy Lewis

2. Phil Hogg

3. Joe Townsend

4. George Peasgood

5. Haseeb Ahmad

Men’s Age-Grouper of the Year
1. Reece Barclay

2. Andy Greenleaf

3. Mark Mills

4. Michael Smallwood

5. Phil Wilson

Women’s Age-Grouper of the Year

1. Alice Jenkins                                     

2. Liz Dunlop                                           

3. Jane Hansom                                      

4. Emma Deary                                      

5. Linda Ashmore
                      
Coach of the Year

1. Malcolm Brown                

2. Simon Ward                                       

3. Adam Gibson                                  

4. David Knight                                       

5. Joel Enoch
   
Triathlon Club of the Year  (sponsored by Skechers) 

1. Leeds & Bradford                              

2. Oxford Tri                                            

3. Wakefield Triathlon Club  

4. Greenlight                                          

5. Bustinskin

Race of the Year (under 500 entries)

1. Storm the Castle                                                                

2. Ilkley Triathlon                                                                  

3. Bustinskin Weymouth Middle Distance Triathlon      

4. Eastbourne Triathlon                                                                         

5. Oxford Tri Sprint Triathlon
                                                               
Race of the Year (over 500 entries)

1. The Outlaw              

2. Ironman Weymouth                                                                        

3. Hever Castle                                                                                        

4. The Outlaw Half Holkham                                                             

5. JLL Property Triathlon
                                                                    
Bike Brand of the Year 
1. Boardman

2. Cervelo

3. Giant

4. Planet X

5. Trek

Tri-Suit Brand of the Year
1. Huub

2. 2XU

3. Zone3

4. Raceskin

5. Threo

Wetsuit Brand of the Year
1. Huub

2. Zone3

3. Blueseventy

4. Orca

5. Yonda
   
Run Brand of the Year
1. Asics

2. Adidas

3. Brooks

4. Saucony

5. Skechers

Online Retailer of the Year
1. Wiggle

2. Chain Reaction Cycles

3. Sigma Sport

4. Planet X

5. Total Fitness Nottingham

Tri Retailer of the Year
1. Wiggle
2. Sigma Sport
3. Total Fitness Nottingham
4. Triangle Leeds
5. The Triathlon Shop Bristol

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Innovative Product of the Year

1. Cervelo P5X                          
2. Canyon Speedmax              
3. Threo Tri-suit                                    
4. 32Gi Gels                              
5. Altium i10  
    
Jane Tomlinson Award for Outstanding Contribution to Triathlon*
Winner: Jonathon Riall (Head Coach for the Great Britain Paratriathlon Team)

*Once the initial shortlist was drawn up from the first round of open voting, the top five individuals were put before a panel of judges, which included: 220 editor Helen Webster, 220 deputy editor Liz Barrett, 220 features editor Matt Baird, and 220 columnists Tim Heming and Martyn Brunt.

Judge Tim Heming said of winner Riall: “It would be easy for the achievements of the Paralympic team to be overshadowed after British Triathlon’s most successful Olympic Games ever, but Riall, a mature head on young shoulders, full of verve and enthusiasm (and a pleasure to deal with as a journalist) marshalled a formidable band of paratriathletes to great feats in Rio.

“In many ways this was a step into the unknown. A funded programme that had to serve the needs of a mixture of athletes, from wheelchair competitors to visually impaired triathletes and their guides, all with their own requirements and demands to give them the optimal chance of winning medals at paratri’s inaugural Paralympics. As a fellow Gloucestershire boy, it was also a pleasure to see Riall’s hard work capped with gold for Lydney’s Andy Lewis, whose progression through 2016 was a lesson in peaking to perfection.”

 Other nominees

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Alistair Brownlee
Jack Maitland
Colin Pink (Wakefield Tri)
Mark Steen (Bustinskin Events) 

Arm recovery is often overlooked by athletes trying to refine their stroke, probably because it takes place out of the water, but it’s a primary component of the front-crawl stroke. In addition to the obvious – namely, returning your arm to the water – your arm recovery performs numerous essential functions:

1. It stabilises and balances your stroke.

2. It adds forward momentum.

3. It assists the streamlining of your hand entry.

Head-up stroke

Keeping your head up positively limits body rotation, while increasing feel at the front of the stroke… 

This is a simple and effective drill to ensure that your arm recovery isn’t too high due to excessive body rotation. It also ensures that the pressure you apply in the catch position of the leading arm is maintained. It’s also good for gaining a feel for the water at the front of the stroke, and also transferring momentum from the back to the front of the stroke via your arms. It helps greatly if you allow your hands to catch up slightly at the front the stroke because there’s a tendency to sink if your leading hand moves away too fast.

4. The speed of the recovery helps to control the timing of your breathing.

5. The speed of the recovery helps to co-ordinate the timing and synchronisation of both arms.

One of the key aims of the arm recovery is to use as little energy as possible. That makes sense as it’s not physically moving you any further forward in the water. So you should try to relax all unnecessary shoulder, arm and hand muscles, almost lifting your arm out of the water as if the elbow was attached to a puppet string.

Like each and everyone of the technical features of the swim, afford a small amount of time to concentrate on this aspect of your stroke and you’ll soon notice some pretty hefty results.

Recovery essentials

Remember these key points when you undertake recovery drills

 Only begin your arm recovery once you’ve fully completed the push phase.

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There should be no delay between the push phase and your arm recovery; it should be executed in one rhythmical, continuous movement.

Initiate your arm recovery by lifting your elbow in an upward and outward motion.

Rotate your core slightly upwards towards the recovering side to assist the recovery movement.

From a bird’s-eye view, your shoulders and hips should be aligned as your body rotates.

Maintain your leg kick to provide better balance.

The recovery phase is when you should inhale air.

Extend your leading arm to add stability, balance and streamlining when you make the initial recovery movement.

Your elbow leads the movement of your recovering arm around your body.

Keep your hand below your elbow throughout the recovery.

Use the forward and outward movement of your elbow to drive your hand forward.

Keep your body rotated until your stroking hand passes through the catch position and is about to begin the push phase.

Return your head to the centre line after breathing and keep it still.

In the final part of the recovery phase, roll your body to switch your weight from the stroking side to the side that’s about to finish recovering and begin stroking. This helps you transfer momentum onto your leading arm in
preparation for the next stroke.

Extend your hand below the water’s surface in a streamlined position to repeat the supporting role of stability and balance for the opposite arm.

Click here for 3 drills that will help you improve your arm recovery

Head-up stroke

Keeping your head up positively limits body rotation, while increasing feel at the front of the stroke… 

 This is a simple and effective drill to ensure that your arm recovery isn’t too high due to excessive body rotation. It also ensures that the pressure you apply in the catch position of the leading arm is maintained. It’s also good for gaining a feel for the water at the front of the stroke, and also transferring momentum from the back to the front of the stroke via your arms. It helps greatly if you allow your hands to catch up slightly at the front of the stroke because there’s a tendency to sink  if your leading hand moves away too fast.

1. You can see how you need to roll your body into the extension of the stroke, and also how the downward pressure of your hand provides enough lift to keep your chin out of the water. Notice also the hand beginning its recovery movement from the back to the front of the stroke around the side of your body.

2. This shows the body starting to transfer the rotation to the opposite side. Your arm and body work together to bring maximum momentum forward to the front of the stroke.

3. Your hand isn’t able to enter the water in a normal streamlined position because your head is so high. Also, because you head-up has sent your legs lower, when your hand reaches the front of the stroke it has to overemphasise the press into the catch position in order to maintain stability.

Finger trail

It’s amazing how a gentle trailing of the fingertips can refine your arm recovery as well as increase stroke length

The beauty of this drill is its simplicity, combined with the way it improves your arm recovery. It works by conditioning your stroke length and recovery action, as well as putting your body in a near perfect swimming position. The recovery action during this drill is almost the same as in the normal stroke, the only difference being you trail your fingertips along the surface of the water. It would be worth using fins for this drill because the added momentum from your legs will help control the movements which must be performed slowly.

1. Trail the fingertips of your recovering hand in the water around the side of your body. It’s important not to bring your hand too close to your head as you could over rotate, placing your shoulder in an awkward position and inhibit the recovery action. This shows the drill performed with the opposite arm. Your head is low during this drill, but using fins to aid your kick and the positioning of your leading arm will help you maintain a level body position. From here, you can simply rotate to gain a breath as normal.

2. Keep your body positioned horizontally – using fins and a steady, consistent leg action will help. Look directly down at the bottom of the pool. Slightly exaggerate your stroke length but roll your body as normal.

3. Keep your fingertips in contact with the water all the way to the front of the stroke. Using a catch-up stroke (your recovering hand almost catches up with your extended hand before the next stroke begins) will help maintain balance.

Trail drill progressions

Once you’ve perfected finger-trailing, it’s time to move on to the hands and forearms…

These drill progressions should be performed over short distances (25-50m for beginners) and be followed, like all drills, by an easy, full-stroke swim practising best technique. The number of reps you perform depends on your ability. If you’re just starting out then practise each drill 2-3 times. If you’re a more experienced athlete, then try 3-4 reps over slightly longer distances. Remember: what you concentrate on with one arm, you have to match with the other and always practise the correct full stroke before moving on or you’ll finish your session feeling slightly unbalanced.

Hand trail drill

This drill is effectively the same as the fingertip drill but places more resistance onto the recovering arm. The extra resistance created by trailing your hand makes you concentrate fully on the correct action through the whole stroke because you aren’t able to rush through it.

Forearm trail drill

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This drill really loads your recovering arm with resistance and you should take care not to force the recovery. The emphasis is the same as the finger and hand trail drills but the resistance your forearm creates is much stronger, making you work harder on recruiting the correct muscles to perform the movement.

How to improve your ‘catch and pull’ phase in front crawl
Open-water swim technique: the key components
Front crawl technique: paddle or rake hand position?
Front crawl technique: the key components
How to streamline your swim

It will also be a new National Elite Training Centre for Triathlon. The UK’s first purpose-built triathlon training base, it will combine a strength and conditioning training suite, physiotherapy, medical and other support services, to provide world-class facilities to enhance triathlon training in the region.

Alistair said: “This day marks a great day for cycling in Yorkshire. The start of the Tour de Yorkshire builds on a fantastic legacy and, thanks to these new facilities, Leeds continues to be a real centre for excellence when it comes to cycling and triathlon.”

Alistair Brownlee’s key triathlon training sessions

Jonny added: “A big thanks to the University and all of the supporters, because this centre and circuit will inspire everyone, from beginners through to elite athletes.”

The facilities, open to sports enthusiasts of all ages and abilities, will be available to use from next Tuesday [2 May] and include changing rooms and a café.

The cycle circuit has a full programme of activity including ‘pay and pedal’, HSBC UK Breeze Rides for women and girls and special training sessions for elite athletes, University and local clubs. Bikes for children and adults are available to hire, along with hand cycles, trikes and tandems for use by riders with disabilities.

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Partnership funding from British Cycling, British Triathlon and others contributed £1million to the project, with the remaining funding provided by the University of Leeds.

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The festival also features a 12 km time trial, The Flüela Challenge, that athletes can either bike, roller ski, inline skate or run.

On Saturday competitiors in the Olympic distance triathlon will swim 1.5km in the clear waters of Lake Davos before biking a 24km bike course. This course will take the athletes up to the high mountain pass Flüelapass, which has an elevation of 2,383 metres.

Although the bike course is shorter in distance than in other Olympic distance tris the time needed to complete it will approximately be the same as an Olympic distance triathlon elsewhere.

The run leg will take athletes along the shores of Lake Davos before heading towards the finish line.

On Sunday the middle-distance tri will start at the edge of the beautiful Lake Davos where athletes will swim 1.9km, before cycling the 50km bike leg, which includes having to conquer the Flüelapass from each side.

The final third of the race will take athletes on a 21.1km run around the picturesque lake.

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OC president, a water ambassador and former Swiss Olympic Triathlon coach, Ernst Bromeis, said: “It’s a dream to organise an event at the Flüelapass. It’s a unique experience to enjoy the scenery in silence and to hear only your own breathing rhythm, the wind and the flowing water. I would like to thank the authorities and the Destination Davos-Klosters for great cooperation.”

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Find out more at www.challenge-davos.ch/

Open to the general public for the first time, participants will complete a 5km swim in Loch Ness, cycle 100 miles a day for five days, before finishing with a 50km run/walk from Windsor to Richmond on the final day.

 The event was pioneered by charity Sabre Trust in 2016, where a team of both novice and experienced triathletes from corporate partner Tullow Oil completed the challenge in eight days.

“We are delighted to see the Monster Triathlon evolve into a full public event this year after a very successful pilot last year,” said Dominic Bond, Managing Director at Sabre Trust. “We are looking forward to establishing the Monster in the challenge event calendar, and increasing the crucial work our teams do to improve the quality of education for Ghana’s youngest school children.”

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The Monster Triathlon takes place September 17-23 and you can find out more at www.monstertriathlon.org

Iron-distance triathlons: the 11 toughest?

A win would give him automatic qualification, while a top 3 place leaves him well positioned to get a slot ahead of the first top 40 qualifying cut-off on June 4th.

But it won’t be an easy race to win. Conditions will be pretty warm with the temperatures expecting to be between 80-85°F (26.67-29.4°C). The water temperature is expected to be in the low to mid-60°F

It’s a lake swim in Sand Hollow Reservoir, while the bike and run courses, say Ironman, ‘are two of the most challenging on the Ironman 70.3 circuit.’ The bike leg’s 3,536ft of climbing includes the signature climb up and through Snow Canyon State Park, while the run’s 1267ft of climbing includes scaling Red Hills Parkway, through the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.

See course maps here

The start list includes Canadian Lionel Sanders who set a new Ironman record at IM Arizona 2016, former 70.3 World Champion Sebastian Kienle (Germany) and Brent McMahon (Canada) who came 5th at St George in 2016.

In the pro field Alistair is joined by fellow Brits Mark Buckingham, Stuart Hayes and Tim Don, who used to race Alistair on the ITU circuit and has already got some 2017 70.3 victories under his belt, including Ironman 70.3 Campeche and Ironman 70.3 Liuzhou. Last year he finished 7th at the Ironman 70.3 World Champs.

Alistair’s debut at middle distance took place on April 21 at Gloria Challenge Mogán Gran Canaria, where he won comfortably in 04:03:09, stripping 10:35mins off the course record.

The Ironman 70.3 World Championships will take place at Chattanooga, Tennessee, on September 9. 

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The Ironman 70.3 St. George North American Pro championships starts at 6.55am local time (13.55pm British time) and you can follow the action at Ironman.com

Alistair Brownlee’s key triathlon training sessions

 

Enjoying exploring Utah a bit #redrocks #utah #explore

A post shared by Alistair Brownlee (@alistair.brownlee) on May 4, 2017 at 11:30am PDT

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The win automatically qualifies Brownlee for September’s Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Tennessee, and silences anyone who doubted his ability to make the jump to middle-distance racing from ITU events.

The women’s race was won by fellow Brit Holly Lawrence, who dominated from the get-go to produce another commanding performance in 113km racing.

Brownlee made his debut at the 113km distance late last month at Challenge Mogan Gran Canaria, where he crossed the line in 4:03:09, beating the next man across the tape, Belgian Pieter Heemeryck, by over eight minutes.

Where Gran Canaria had a shallow pro field, the Utah contenders were daunting, with Germany’s former Ironman and Ironman 70.3 world champion Sebastien Kienle, the fastest official Ironman in history, Canada’s Lionel Sanders, fellow Brit and former ITU rival Tim Don (a man with plenty of 70.3 victories on his racing palmares, Canada’s Brent McMahon and South Africa’s recent Ironman African Championship winner Ben Hoffman.

Brownlee would need a win to automatically qualify for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Chattanooga in September, and he came second out of the 1.9km swim in 23:18 behind Ben Kanute and just in front of his Olympic 2012 domestique, Brit Stuart Hayes, and 42secs ahead of Don. Kienle was 2mins back and Sanders over 3mins, and Alistair would power into the lead over Kanute within 20mins on the 90km bike

THE CHASE IS ON

Kienle and Sanders were the key chasers on a course that Ironman tout as one of the hardest on the 70.3 circuit, with 1,077m of total elevation gain over the 90km duration. At the 65km mark, Brownlee was 2:40mins ahead of Kienle and Sanders, with Brownlee actually extending his lead over Kienle by 40secs since the start of the bike. But could he maintain it? Oh yes he could, finishing with a 90km bike split of 2:01:39 to enter T2 with a three minute lead over Kienle and Sanders, 4:35mins over Don.

The half marathon run featured 386m of total elevation gain, includes scaling Red Hills Parkway and through the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, with Sanders gaining 20secs in the first 4km on Brownlee. By 15km, Brownlee’s lead had been reduced to a minute by the fast closing Sanders (who would clock a 1:12:19 run split) but it was too late for the Canadian as Brownlee triumphed in 3:41:58 to win by 33secs after a 1:14:49 half marathon. Kienle would finish third over 4mins behind Brownlee, with Don another 30secs back.

Brownlee’s time was a St. George course record and qualifies him for the 70.3 Worlds in Chattanooga, where hopefully we’ll see a face-off between Sanders, Kienle and his old ITU rival Javier Gomez.

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The women’s race saw California-based Brit Holly Lawrence exit the swim in first in 24:56 and gain a comfortable 5min lead by the 65km mark on the bike. At the halfway stage on the run, the reigning 70.3 world champ Lawrence was 6mins ahead of Jeanni Seymour and she hold on for another impressive win, finishing in 4:12:07 to make it a famous day for British long-course tri.

Alistair Brownlee’s key triathlon training sessions

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The weekends retreats will be based in the Forest of Dean staying in the luxury accommodation at Broadrock, riding on some of the forests natural single track trails. The weekends will be lead by Adrian Stokes and Karen Maidment of Pure Body Balance and aimed at at those looking to improve there fitness, strength, health on and off the bike with a big focus around skills work when out on the trails. 

Adrain Stokes will be there to work through key movement patterns and giving you an insight to insider secrets for ultimate strength, balance and coordination on the bike. Karen Maidment will guide you through the perfect post ride mountain bike specific yoga sessions as well sharing her knowledge about the key nutrition secrets needed for lasting out on those all day rides. Jake Ireland, owner and technician at Sprung Suspension will be on hand to get that perfect bike set-up specifically for you, making your ride even smoother when ripping up the trails. Katy Curd, top professional mountain bike racer, will be there to help guide you through the skills on the bike, helping you build up your confidence and skills to maintain natural flow on any trails you ride.  

You can subscribe to the print magazine here or if you prefer a digital issue, or live overseas, click here

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How to regain your confidence after a fall off the bike

Jonny said: “It’s good to be back in Japan, and it’s good to be back racing. I’ve been feeling strong in training, so I hope everything comes together for a good result on Saturday.”

Trying to stop Jonny topping the podium will be current and former ITU World Champions, Mario Mola and Javier Gomez of Spain, however Gomez has been suffering from toothache and an infected root canal we will have to wait and see if this has affected him.

 

A painful toothache, that turned out to be an infected root canal has knocked me around this week with fever and put me on antibiotics. But thanks to the help of dentist Nana Salzfeld and her team I’ll try to be on the start line ready to give my best on Saturday in Yokohama. Also thanks to the ITU for the help! / He tenido una semana complicada con una infección en una muela que me ha dado, además de dolor, fiebre y me ha obligado a tratarme con antibióticos. Parece que voy mejor así que haré todo lo posible por estar en la salida de la WTS de Yokohama este sábado, para dar el 100% como siempre. Quiero agradecer a la dentista Nana Salzfeld y su equipo por tratarme en Tokio para estar bien lo antes posible. Y a la ITU por su ayuda!

A post shared by Javier Gómez Noya (@jgomeznoya) on May 11, 2017 at 4:43am PDT

British hopes will also fall on Tom Bishop who raced a fantastic race in Abu Dhabi to finish second behind Gomez. Can he make the podium again?

 Gordon Benson and five-time Yokohama top ten finisher, Adam Bowden make up the four GB men racing.

In the women’s series New Zealand’s Andrea Hewitt has been the in-form athlete so far with two Series wins from two starts (Abu Dhabi and Gold Coast), however for the first time this year she has to race ITU Word Champion, Flora Duffy, who starts her 2017 campaign here.

Also hoping for a podium finish will be GB triathletes Non Stanford, who comes here after winning the Chengdu ITU World Cup last weekend, and Olympic bronze medal winner Vicky Holland.

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Stanford said: “I’m feeling fairly relaxed and happy following the win in Chengdu last weekend. I’m looking forward to doing my first full distance race of the season and seeing where I am.”

Making up the British female team of five are Jess Learmonth, Lucy Hall and Sophie Coldwell, who have all scored World or European Cup wins this season. Expect them to attack the swim and bike courses in their usual style.

The course is flat, but the forecast rain and technical bike leg with lots of tight corners should suit all of the British athletes.

Britain’s paratriathletes, including Rio gold medal winner, Andy Lewis, start their international seasons in Yokohama as well this weekend.

How to watch

There will be live BBC Red Button coverage of the men and women’s elite races on Saturday and highlights on Sunday:

Women’s race: Live 2am, repeated 10:12am

Men’s race: Live 5am, repeated 12:15pm

Highlights: 1pm BBC2 (including interviews with Andy Lewis and Jonathan Brownlee)

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For those that don’t have the BBC head to Triathlon Live (you need to purchase a pass)